Lassana Diarra stuck in the middle at Madrid - The Insider

24 Jan 2011 14:32:04

Simon Jones is Sportsmail's man on the inside of all the major transfer moves this January.
His column, published every weekday, offers an insight into the deals which will be done and those that won't - and why.
A 5/5-rating means The Insider reckons it's a done deal; 0/5 means The Insider has his mortgage on it not happening.
Don't miss your daily Insider instalment here.
LASSANA DIARRA Real Madrid to TottenhamTHE INSIDER says: 2/5
KALU UCHEAlmeria to BirminghamTHE INSIDER says: 2/5
If this deal goes through on loan to Tottenham there is a strong possibility that Jose Mourinho will walk out of Real Madrid.
Mourinho is at loggerheads with the club over the provision of a striker. It has been his main demand since the summer and has become more pressing with the back injury suffered by Gonzalo Higuain that has ruled him out for most of the season.
Diarra was a substitute last night and wants to play regularly, Mourinho privately says he can go but only so it finances the purchase of a striker - hence the asking price of £18m.
If Real allow him to go on loan, they had better have a striker of substance coming in as Mourinho's patience is wearing thin.
Meetings are taking place at the Bernabeu today as they run through a list of options.
Birmingham boss Alex McLeish is desperate to bring in a striker but is hindered by budget and the need to find a replacement for centre-half Scott Dann who has torn his hamstring.
McLeish has rebuffed an attempt by Stoke to sign Cameron Jerome but if their offer was increased substantially above the £4m discussed so far he may be willing to sacrifice the former Cardiff man to fund new faces.
Jo, Peter Lovenkrands, Jay Bothroyd, Tuncay, Ricardo Fuller, Frederic Piquionne, Robbie Keane and Roman Pavlyuchenko have all cropped up in McLeish's search and he is also looking abroad with Nigerian Kalu Uche at Almeria back on the radar.
However, the big question mark is whether he scores enough goals and that is likely to deter McLeish.
MAXIMILIAN HAASBayern Munich to MiddlesbroughTHE INSIDER says: 3/5
SHAUN WRIGHT-PHILLIPSManchester City to FulhamTHE INSIDER says: 4/5
The 25-year-old German has been stagnating at Bayern Munich and is eager to make his mark.
Although he has been at Bayern since 2007 he has figured predominantly for their second string in the third tier of the German league and has made more than 60 appearances.
First-team coach Louis Van Gaal promoted him to the senior squad for this season but he has yet to be given a chance and is out of contract in the summer.
Bayern are now willing to let him go on loan with a view to a reasonable permanent deal as they look to help fund a major overhaul of their playing squad in the summer.
Haas is 6ft 3ins tall and can also play in midfield but Boro have a couple of other options and have to be careful what they spend no matter how small the fee.
Newcastle and Bolton have been encouraged by news that Manchester City are willing to let the England winger go on loan.
They are both eager to bring in a wide player and have also both entered the bidding for Stephen Ireland at Aston Villa.
He will be allowed on loan to anyone willing to pay his £60,000 a week wages in full.
Wright-Phillips has shown a willingness to stay in the north west and that lifted Bolton who are also waiting on Carlos Vela from Arsenal, however, Fulham manager Mark Hughes remains confident he can lure Wright-Phillips back to London.
He knows the player well and will convince him he has a big role to play in the resurgence of the Cottagers who are looking to bring two more new faces and will be boosted further by Bobby Zamora's impending return from injury.
Don't miss your daily instalment of The Insider every weekday through the transfer window here at MailOnline.
Explore more:People: Shaun Wright-Phillips, Robbie Keane, Mark Hughes, Scott Dann, Simon Jones, Jose Mourinho, Jay Bothroyd, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Alex McLeish, Louis Van Gaal, Bobby Zamora, Lassana Diarra Places: London, Madrid, Newcastle, Cardiff, Birmingham, Bolton, United Kingdom